Portable game device



March 29, 1949.

D. S. BAKER PORTABLE GAME DEVICE Filed July 14, 1944 Patented Mar. 29,1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PORTABLE GAME DEVICE David S. Baker,New York, N. Y.

Application July 14, 1944, Serial No. 544,898

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a game device in which a ball or similarobject is directed toward a target or cup-like receptacle over a surfacewhich may be elevated locally in one or many places to providecorresponding or opposed undulations or inclined portions by means xedto and forming an integral part of the device.

An object of the invention is to provide a game device in which asurface over which a ball or the like is to be impelled may be given anumber of combinations of undulations or slopes.

Another object of the device is to provide a surface with means by whichundulations or slopes of a given size and position may be exactlyreproduced whenever desired thus making it possible to repeat at willthe exact conditions of a previous contest.

Another object of the invention is to provide a surface over which aball may be rolled, such that When it is elevated locally thesurrounding portion of the surface will assume a smoothly curvingcontour without abrupt breaks in the surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple and effective meansfor elevating locally a golf practice putting surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide a surface of the kinddescribed which may be readily rolled up into a roll of predeterminedsize, or unrolled into a substantially horizontal plane.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a surface with meanscontrolling the diameter of the convolutions of the member when rolledup, so that when rolled it will always occupy substantially the samespace.

Another object of the invention is to provide in conjunction with such asurface foot operable means for elevating the surface locally.

Another object of the invention is to provide a game which may be playedWithout .requiring the player to bend down to pick up the ball or tooperate the surface elevating means.

Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious or in partpointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements, arrangements of parts, and in the severalsteps and relation and order of each of said steps to one or more of theothers thereof, all as will be pointed out in the following description,and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in thefollowing claims.

The invention will best be understood if the following description isread in connection with the drawings, in which,

Figure l is a plan view of the device showing the playingr surfaceunrolled and in horizontal position;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the device shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the device elevatedlocally by one of the elevating means provided;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken through the device shown inFigure 1;

Figure 5 is a view lsimilar to Figure 4 showing the device elevatedalong one margin to one position;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing the device elevated alongone margin to a greater elevation;

Figure 7 is a detailed cross sectional view, on an enlarged scale;

Figure 8 is a side view of the device at the beginning of the operationof rolling it up for storage, showing the operation of the blocks I9 incontrolling the diameter of the device when rolled up; and

Figure 9 is a detail view showing tapes woven between aligned abuttingreinforcing cross members.

My device comprises a strip of material It, preferably elongated asillustrated, such for ex ample as felt, composition, or the like, overwhich a ball may be rolled toward a target located for example at oneend of the strip I0 or beyond the end of the strip I0. The form of thetarget is immaterial but it may conveniently be a cuplike recess I I cutout of the strip I Il near one end.

If desired a plurality of reces-ses I I may be provided serving asalternative targets spaced at different intervals from the lateral edgesof the strip I0. The position of a recess II relative to a lateral edgeof strip I' has a bearing on the difficulty involved in holing a ball orthe like, rolled for example from the far end of the strip, for reasonswhich will be apparent from the following description of how the surfaceof the strip I 0 may be shaped by the means to be disclosed.

The strip I0 is preferably but not necessarily reinforced. as, forexample, by the rigid cross members I2 shown in the drawings, which mayconveniently be of wood, or composition material such as masonite, orthe like, glued or otherwise secured to the under surface of strip I0 sothat they extend transversely of strip I0. If the members I2 are usedthey arepreferably aligned side by side in abutting relation so thatwhen a portion of the device is elevated it will form a continuoussmoothly curved surface without hollows between adjacent cross members.

Instead of the rigid cross members I2 other means for stilfening andreinforcing the strip I may be employed such for example as stripmaterial underlying strip I0 and secured to strip I0, or strip I0 mayitself be made of a suitable stiffness to be used alone withoutreinforcing means.

Projecting upwardly at intervals along the lateral edges of strip I0 arepivotally mounted members adapted to swing from a substantiallyhorizontal position to a substantially vertical position, and, in theembodiment of the invention illustrated herein they are block-likemembers or foot pieces I3, which are essentially flat at the bottom butpreferably rounded along the bottom outer edge I4 to facilitate theirmovement in the manner to be described. The members I3 are each securedto the rear .surface of strip IIJ, if the latter is used alone, or totheunder surface of the reinforcing means for strip I0 if such means isemployed, by means of the hinges I5. One leaf Ia of each hinge I5extends across a portion of the bottom surface of a member I3, and theother hinge leaf, I5b, is secured to the under surface of strip I Il orto the reinforcing means underlying strip Ill if such reinforcing meansis used. Each hinge member I5 is preferably disposed so that its pintleI5c is, positioned inside of the lateral margin of strip I0. Asillustrated herein (see particularly Figure 7), a strip I0 forming theplaying surface is4 reinforced by cross members I2 .and the members I3respectively are hingedly connected to cross members l2. 'The crossmembers l2 to which the Vmembers I3 are attached are each pro vided witha U-shaped bracket I6, extending Aover and around the end of the crossmember, and the hinge leaf I5b is secured to the cross member AI2 as byscrew means I'I, extending through the hinge leaf I5b and the bracketI6. An oppositely curved spring leaf I8 .is provided between each memberI3 and the 'end of the aligned cross member, as between member I3b andthe 'curved end of bracket I6, to yieldingly lock the members I3 intheir initial horizontal position and to prevent them from flopping overand being in 'the way, as for example when the surface to which they areattached is being rolled up.

It will be seen that each member I3 together with the hinged leaf a towhich it is secured constitutes a bell crank rotatable around'the hingepintle I5c as a pivot. When pressure is applied to a member I3, as vbyfoot pressure, the member slides inward, on its edge I`4, thus rotatingVthe member from a 'vertical plane toward a`horizontal plane, andsimultaneously rotating the members hinge leaf -If5a from a horizontalplane toward a vertical plane, and thus elevating a portion of strip IU,and its reinforcing means-if-any,which is located above and adjacent the.pintle EI'5c around which the said hinge leaf I5a pivots. Accordinglywhen a player wishes to modify the horizontal surface of strip I0 when.none -of members I3 are depressed he has only to 4step upon one or moremembers I3 to cause fstrip ID to be elevated locally in the vicinity ofa depressed member I3. Due to the preferred 'sti'ifness of strip Ill theelevation thus formedwill 'be gradually curving and will slope inwardlytoward the longitudinal center line of strip Ill. It will be seen that awide variety of contours of strip I0 may be obtained through variationsinthe slection `of the members I3 `which .are depressed.

Thus for example by depressing all of the members I3 along one lateralmargin of strip I0, without depressing any of the members I3 along theother lateral margin of strip I0, a continuous elevation is obtained,the top of which extends as a ridge of substantially even height, andwhich slopes inwardly onto a horizontally extending surface portion ofstrip I0. If non-adjacent members I3 on the same side are depressed tothe same extent a series of inwardly inclined undulations are obtained,tapering off into a level surface. On the other hand by depressing allof the members I3 of both lateral margins of strip I0 a series ofoppositely inclined slopes will be obtained, both tapering off inwardlytoward the 'longitudinally extending center line of strip I0. Byselection of members I3 to be depressed, and the extent to which a hingeleaf I5a is elevated, as will be described, the difficulty involved inimpelling a ball along the length of strip IU, and holing it in one ofthe receptacles I I, may be greatly varied.

As illustrated herein each member I3 comprises portions of differentheight; the outer surfaces f of which are angularly disposed to oneanother;

thus the portion I3a is of less height than the portion I 3b and itsouter surface is initially in a vertical plana-and when the userplaceshis foot on portion I3a the member I3 will not be rotated aroundits hinge pivot I'5c to as great a vdegree as would be the case if theplayer lstepped upon the more elevated portion I3b the outer face ofwhich, above portion I3a, is inclined inwardly `so that it does `notcontact the floor surface on which the device is supported until memberI3 is rotated beyond the position shown in Figure 5 to the po'ition ofFigure 6. Thus the surface `of .strip Ill in the vicinity of each memberI3 may be elevated selectively to a plurality of different heights. thusfurther increasing the variety of the game.

A great advantage of the device is the positiveness of the action of themembers -I3 in elevating portions of strip I0, and the fact that thesame conditions obtaining for example at the time of one match may berepeated at any desired time. Similarly the skill of a .player indealing With a given setting of members I3 on A'one :date may becompared with his skill in dealing with them `at another date, `or oneplayer may compete under the same conditions which obtained `for anotherplayer, using the device at a different date.

In `order to facilitate rolling up `of the device for storage ortransportation I provi-de along a portion of one or both margins :ofstrip I0 the aligned trapezoidal blocks I9, which in .the Aembodiment ofthe invention described herein are secured respectivelyto the ends ofthecross rmembers I.2. vPreferably the trapezoidal blocks I! are of a widthat their base corresponding V.to `the width of cross members yI2 and.their end faces are oppositely -and inwardly inclined. As the .assemblyis rolled vthe oppositelyinclined `faces of adjacent trapezoidal blocks,suc'h for example as the opposed end faces 20 and 2`I, .wi11.come.intoContact and thus, according `to the inclination of said faces, willlimit the angle which one block I9 may assume with relation to the nextblock 19. Thus the blocks will serve to determine the diameter of the-roll into whch the assembly may be rolled, and, by Vprovidingtrapezoidal `blocks I'U having uniformly inclined `end faces 2D and '21,asymmetrical roll of constant diameter will .be obtained. It will beunderstood that it ds :only necessary to provide 'the fblockslalcngxa'pontion of the `lateral margin -of the device, :since 8 thefirst convolution, when formed, will serve to determine the diameter ofthe succeeding con- Volutions of the roll. It will be seen that thetrapezoidal blocks i9 serve to support the entire weight of the rolledup assembly thus relieving strip lll of any substantial stress.

As illustrated herein the forward end of strip I may be secured to amember 22 which serves to anchor the front end of strip l0 and which ifdesired may constitute a base for the device when rolled up. Means suchas e. canvas cover (not shown) may also be attached to the member 22 toact with the member 22 to provide a housing for the rolled up device.The member 22 may be provided adjacent its side and rear margins withthe upwardly extending side members '23 which serve both as stop meansto limit the travel of the ball beyond the target and as a part of ahousing for the rolled up device.

The cup-like recesses Il are preferably of a depth so proportioned tothe diameter of the ball employed that the ball when holed will extendabove the recess sufficiently to permit it to be knocked out of the holeby an implement, such as a golf stick, thus making it unnecessary for aplayer to bend over to remove the ball. The limited depth of recesses lialso adds the additional desirable hazard that a ball may enter a recessI I but fail to remain in the recess if struck too hard. The depth ofrecesses Ii may be controlled by the thickness of the playing surfaceemployed and also by providing concavities in the playing surfacesupporting means.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention amethod, apparatus, and an article in which the various objectshereinabove set forth together with many thoroughly practical advantagesare successfully achieved. As various possible embodiments might be madeof the mechanical features of the above invention and as the art hereindescribed might be varied in various parts, all without departing fromthe scope of the invention, it is to be understood that all matterhereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim is:

1. A game device comprising in combination a surface over which a ballmay be rolled, said surface comprising a normally flat flexible membercapable of being elevated locally to form inclined sloping areas, andbell crank means hinged at one end beneath said surface and projectingbeyond the edge of said surface, said bell crank means being responsiveto pressure on its free end to rotate around its hinge line as a pivotand to elevate said surface locally.

2. A game device comprising a member having a flexible surface overwhich a ball may be rolled and means for modifying the contour of saidmember comprising means fixed to said member and rotatable about an axispositioned beneath said member, and adapted to be interposed to aselected extent between said member and a surface onwhich said member issupported.

3. A game device comprising in combination a exible surface over which aball may be rolled, means for elevating said surface locally, said meansbeing disposed so as to be movable from a position beyond the lateralmargin of the said playing surface, and in substantially the same planeas the playing surface, into a position under the playing surface, andinto a plane angularly related to the plane oi said playing surface, andmeans interposed between said elevating means and said playing surfacefor normally retaining said elevating means in its said initial positionbeyond the lateral margin of said playing' surface.

4. A golf game comprising a flexible putting surface, a member hingedlyconnected to said surface and movable from a plane parallel to saidsurface into a plane angularly related to said surface, and a footcontrol pedal attached to said membere, said foot control pedal having acurved bottom and an outer face which has a plurality of inclinedportions whereby said pedal may be readily moved over a floor and undersaid putting surface into either of a plurality of positions to elevatethe putting surface locally and selectively into either of a pluralityof positions, and means yieldingly holding said foot control member inits initial position.

DAVID S. BAKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent: i

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 538,380 McKenzie Apr. 30, 1895724,760 Altena Apr. 7, 1903 827,670 Russell July 31, 1906 1,248,842Gaver Dec. 4, 1917 1,582,237 Angell Apr. 27, 1926 2,003,241 Brown May28, 1935 2,025,183 Stayton Dec. 24, 1935

